The creators of South Park have announced a tongue-in-cheek name change for the long-running animated series, rebranding it as South America in what appears to be the latest satirical swipe at President Donald Trump and major tech companies. Ahead of the show's Season 29 premiere, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone said the move was inspired by Apple and Google, which have adopted geographic name changes ordered by the Trump administration. For nearly three decades, South Park has built its reputation on mocking political figures and corporations.
The show's recent focus on Trump has generated significant attention and renewed larger discussions about political satire in entertainment. By targeting Apple and Google alongside Trump, Parker and Stone appear to be criticizing not only government actions but also the willingness of major corporations to adopt them. The announcement was a joke made by the series creators ahead of the Season 29 premiere.
Parker and Stone issued a satirical statement claiming they were changing the show's name from South Park to South America. The move was a parody of recent Trump administration efforts to rename geographic features by adding "America" to their names. The series will continue to air as South Park.
The mock rebranding appears to be a promotional stunt and another example of the show's long-running political satire. In a statement shared ahead of the Season 29 premiere, Parker and Stone said they were "inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google” and are changing the name of South Park to South America. The pair added: "We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount—a Skydance Capitulation." “A Skydance Capitulation” has become a satirical phrase by the South Park creators to mock their parent company, Paramount, for bending to political pressure during its merger with Skydance Media.
During a settlement, Paramount paid $16 million to resolve a lawsuit filed by Trump over a 60 Minutes interview. The company also agreed to end its corporate DEI program. The mock announcement was a reference to recent actions by the Trump administration involving the renaming of geographic locations, including referring to Lake Ontario as Lake America following a dispute with Canada, and Trump's earlier call to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, which was subsequently reflected in mapping services operated by Google and Apple.
And this week, Trump threatened to rename New Mexico as "New America" even though he has no legal authority to rename any state. The name-change gag is far from the first time the series has targeted Trump. The show's most recent season has repeatedly mocked the president and his administration.
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